Cyborg: Ghost in the Shell

Author: [Japan] Tatsuya Ando
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: A sluggish economy, high-tech crimes, and a violent populace intertwine with harsh realities, even extending to an extraterrestrial space factory. Real human corpses and mechanical body fragments are scattered everywhere, turning the factory into a scene of bloodshed. In the face of an impending atmospheric burn, whether the lone Ghost in the Shell team can safely return to Earth remains uncertain.
Detailed Description: The space factory in orbit specializes in manufacturing precision instruments and conducting scientific research under weightless conditions. Due to unknown reasons, the space factory erupts in chaos, losing contact with the computerized urban center—the New Harbor City Government. The Ghost in the Shell team receives orders—to conduct an international rescue at the space factory and secretly bring all employees back to Earth. Agents Bart and military operatives are also involved. At this moment, Saito’s body, due to prolonged mechanization and atmospheric effects, craves rest, forcing her to embark on a new mission with a weary physique.
The situation is dire. The space factory MJ2, having lost gravity, is plummeting toward Earth, with only hours to spare before atmospheric burn. The factory is a bloodbath, with real human corpses and mechanical body fragments flying about in weightlessness. Blood fog fills the air, visibility is extremely poor, the air is foul, and power systems are failing. A handful of survivors rely on space suits that can only sustain life for four hours.
A bionic entity named MAX, with no official records, utilizes the energy and intelligence of the space factory MJ2 to become a physical being. Due to improper guidance, it becomes an easily angered killing tool. MAX, clad in an enhanced suit, brutally tears apart factory employees. Meanwhile, the DNA provider for MAX’s commanding abilities is the military operative accompanying the team. The government conceals the fact that the military secretly organized operatives to create combat commanders and provides no backup support.
The Ghost in the Shell team, a pillar of national security and the anti-terrorism force, fights alone: against a bionic entity with superhuman combat capabilities and intelligence, while also completing the task of safely docking with the space station to obtain energy to return to Earth. In a critical moment, Saito’s sharp instincts, wit, and as a human woman, once again shine in this desolate space.
The factory manager must undergo a heart transplant to survive; otherwise, he will die. He must also complete the space station docking to avoid atmospheric destruction. There is only one chance for docking; otherwise, the collision force will cause an early crash. Saito resolutely sends the factory manager’s wife—Bart’s beloved—to the space station, while staying behind in the space factory, which is about to be destroyed by the atmosphere, relying on two clever and resourceful Fuchi-koma to perform the surgery.
In the final seconds, Fuchi-koma and the bionic entity MAX use long chain locks to send the two back to the space station. The empty space factory MJ2, filled with secrets and fragments, falls to Earth, while MAX, carrying Fuchi-koma’s stored memories and a longing for humanity, drifts into the vastness of space, growing farther and farther away.
Facing another incident of a bionic entity awakening self-awareness, leading to communication and freedom barriers, Saito’s emotions become unbalanced: Are bionics worth? When humans and machines communicate through cables inserted into their necks, where is the difference between humans and machines?